From the Director, Missi Smith
Audiences will enjoy Bike America regardless of whether they've ever been on a bike, or on a bike trip across the USA.  The play tells the story of Penny,  a Millennial, a curious seeker whose character represents a longing many of us can relate to. The theme of self-discovery is ubiquitous, no matter what generation you claim, and while Bike America is an outrageous comedy, it also presents thought-provoking content about love, acceptance, individuality, and the quest for identity. We've warned you that the language and themes are adult, but f-bombs aside, this play brings a contemporary, real-life story to our stage with relatable, quirky, and lovable characters who try to help Penny along her journey. You'll enjoy seeing the cast bring them to life onstage.  And then there's the bikes!  What fun it has been to create the biking world onstage.  4000 miles and you never have to leave your seat.  You don't want to miss that.

Typically, the summer production marks the end of our season, but to better align our season planning with budget planning for our fiscal year, we’ve made the change to a January through December season, beginning in 2017.  So, continuing the season into the Fall, we are excited to reprise The Last Salmon in October.  Back by popular demand, we are delighted to present this all-ages, all-original, all-locally inspired chamber musical about the life cycle of salmon.

We are then approaching the close of 2017 when we hope to present a very special holiday event that is, at the moment, still in the initial planning phase.  Shhh...it's still a secret.  Stay tuned for future announcements.

Between and amongst these full productions will be Reader’s Theater productions, plus workshops and children’s theater camps.  We plan to continue working with Seattle University to bring their productions to The Merc and we will host all of our usual rental events throughout 2017.

We hope to see you at The Merc for any or all of these offerings throughout 2017.
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The holidays are rapidly approaching and we have a full December calendar this month. The first two weekends of December -- starting with the Dec 3 production of Seattle U's The Tempest and going through our Special Holiday Reader's Theater Dec 9, 10 & 11 -- we will have our annual Silent Auction in The Merc Gallery & Lobby.  Each year, local businesses and artists donate merchandise, art, and experiences to help us raise money to support our annual operating costs. This means you can come see a show AND do some holiday gift shopping (or pick something up for yourself)  while also supporting live theater in The Methow.

We have a great  line up of items this year, including:

​Fun for the Family:

• Trail's End Book Store Children's Book of the Month Club for one year
• A Roller Skating Party at The Community Center
• Musical Theater Birthday Party at The Merc with Missi Smith, including cupcakes by Jessica Blethen
• Special costume rental from The Merc's costume collection

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Fun for the Grown Ups:

• 2 Tickets to Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival's Valentine Concert
• Dinner for 6 hosted by Ron & Mary Lou McCollum, food by John Brown of Arrowleaf Bistro, PLUS wine pairings
• Live, professional Guitar Accompaniment for your dinner party by Stephen Kish
• Date Night at The Merc
• Dinner for 4 by John Bonica of Tappi in Twisp
• Special, never-been-worn, back -up costume, boots, and poster from Venus in Fur

Road Trip:

• Drinks & a show in Seattle with Playwright Ki Gottberg
• Gift Certificates to The Pink  Door & The Virginia Inn in  Seattle

Beauty and Pampering:

• Massages from Juniper, in Twisp 
• Signature Facial from Nectar Skinbar
• Gift Certificates from Winthrop Salon & 3rd Avenue Salon

All these things, plus original art:
Donations from local artists Mary Kiesau of Mountain Kind Photography, Mary Lou McCollum, Nice Nests, Marilyn & Dennis O'Callaghan, Marraci Designs, plus others...
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Come check out all of these fun items, plus merchandise from Purple Sage Gallery, Rascals, and Twisp Feed and Rentals.

Bidding begins on December 3rd and ends with the closing of the Holiday Reader's Theater on December 11th.  Want to check on your bid during that window of time?  Call Missi at 997-7529 or email her to see if you need to increase your bid to win your  gift.

Opening night is always special.  The energy surrounding the start of a run of performances comes after a long, dedicated rehearsal schedule and a lot of hard work.  The director, the actors, and the technical crew anxiously await the evening when all the work pays off and an audience finally sees the show. This cast and crew is no exception.  They are READY and they have WORKED hard!  We are very excited to have a house full of guests this evening, but tonight is special for more than one reason.

Tonight, we dedicate the run of our Wind in the Willows performances to Tom Zbyszewski. In the theater, we honor people by dedicating live performance.  As performing artists, though, the nature of our work is somewhat fleeting. The work we do does not end in a sculpture, or a bench, or a memorial plaque.  At the end of the night, it's over.  The impact must live on in the hearts of those onstage as well as in the audience.

When considering this, we at The Merc decided that there was a more lasting way we could honor Tom's memory in our theater. We have a thriving children's theater program here, and Tom was one of the young actors to be a part of our program in its very early stages. We always hope for young actors like Tom who come back season after season to play onstage and eventually mentor the youngest ones coming in after them.  Tom was among some of the first children to fulfill that role for us and help our program grow to where it is today with over forty children auditioning for this very production of The Wind in the Willows. Without the original group of kids that Tom was a part of, this program would not have grown to where it is today.

The next choice made sense - let's name our whole program after Tom. He was a shining star as a young actor here, and he remained a friend after moving to college. He came back and checked in, he sat in the audience, he continued to support our mission and be a part of our family. He had plans to come back someday and perform on our stage again. Though that friendship has been tragically cut short, we can continue to honor Tom the way he honored us by continuing our work with children while his name is part of our program.

Tonight is for you, Tom.  But not just tonight.  Tomorrow night, and Sunday, and next weekend.  And all that we do to influence young actors.  We do it in your memory and to honor your dedication to your community.